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E46 (1999 - 2006) The fourth generation 3 Series (E46 chassis) was introduced in 1999 and set the standard for engineering and performance during it's years of production including being named to Car & Driver's 10 best list every one of those years! ! -- View the E46 Wiki

Ok, so today was the day to head back to college. The previous night was actually the first night it snowed hard here (over a foot) and due to financial issues at the moment my car still has "performance" summer tires on it.

Anyways, after the car was packed and I took off on the highway, i noticed when i reached about 65 my car started shaking violently, i pushed it to 80 and it was even worse...

So at this point I'm wondering if something is wrong with my axle, or the rim, or...

However, after about an hour or so, the vibrating died down progressively.. eventually i was crusiing at 80 MPH avg and there was a subtle vibration.. but still noticable.. something I never had before.

So, I am looking for help, what would be causing it?

Would performance tires in the snow be the cause of it, perhaps they warped or something..

Snow inside the rim/tire area will cause your wheels to be off balance and will cause vibration. As your wheels and brakes heat up, the snow will melt and you will notice the vibration go away. Mud also has the same affect.

I agree with edsmax and Artslinger's diagnosis. A trip through the car wash will take care of this problem immediately. (Or, if you want to clean the wheels yourself while its ~10 degrees F outside...)

Anyways, after the car was packed and I took off on the highway, i noticed when i reached about 65 my car started shaking violently, i pushed it to 80 and it was even worse...

so you were driving 80 MPH with summer tires on roads that are barely cleared and your car was shaking violently. Did it ever occur to you that you were risking your life and the lives of everyone in your vicinity?

so you were driving 80 MPH with summer tires on roads that are barely cleared and your car was shaking violently. Did it ever occur to you that you were risking your life and the lives of everyone in your vicinity?

Well it was the Thruway, the next day after the snow storm, and the sun was out so the roads were completely dry. Most people were driving around 80+ (although granted I was the only one probably with perf. tires) -- But I'm a cautious driver so no worries.

I was going avg 65 and gradually increased my speed as the shaking minimized.

so you were driving 80 MPH with summer tires on roads that are barely cleared and your car was shaking violently. Did it ever occur to you that you were risking your life and the lives of everyone in your vicinity?

Ehm, what can I say???
Just some thoughts....

I saw yesterday the weather you have there on the news....really cold, and lots of snow...

If you were indeed driving 80mph in that weather, you must be really brave, or really know how to drive or....

I mean, just some left over ice from the cleaning truck and you would have been gone for a rollercoaster ride.....

The same thing happened to me today. My car was shaking pretty violently any time I went above 35mph. Towards the end of the 10 mile drive to work, I noticed the shaking gradually died down. When I got out of the car, I saw a huge chunk of ice stuck in the wheel well behind the right front tire. There was no space in between. The shaking you're experiencing probably has nothing to do with the performance tires though

I would think if this were the case, it would definitely evaporate in the warm weather ...

I wonder -- tires are "air tight", right? The water may become vaporized inside the tire but I'm not sure it could escape. Wouldn't it then re-condense and possibly freeze in response to ambient temperatures? For example, boiling water in a covered pot will not evaporate since the steam cannot escape...

(I'm not saying this is the cause of his vibration, but just responding to the specific comment regarding water in a tire---I wonder how much it would take to actually result in a problem...)

I wonder -- tires are "air tight", right? The water may become vaporized inside the tire but I'm not sure it could escape. Wouldn't it then re-condense and possibly freeze in response to ambient temperatures? For example, boiling water in a covered pot will not evaporate since the steam cannot escape...

(I'm not saying this is the cause of his vibration, but just responding to the specific comment regarding water in a tire---I wonder how much it would take to actually result in a problem...)

Good point ... I posted a message on the tire board and asked gary to answer it ... he would know .

Realistically speaking though I don't think mounters even use soapy water when mounting a tire ... at least the ones that I have witnessed. I'm not saying it has never been done but I think that was an old method that you don't see used too often

One possible source of the moisture is the air itself, especially if the shop isn't using a water trap on it's air compressor. Don't know if there's enough water to throw off the wheel balance, but when I drain my compressor there sure is a lot of water.

Saw on one of those NASCRAP tech shows avoiding moisture is why they'll use nitrogen for tire inflation. Not sure I believe that's the real reason why, though.